Empath
by Dragonling62
Summary: After the wars, the Gundam Pilots become instructors for new Preventer recruits. Also becoming an instructor is an assassin feared both on Earth and in the Colonies. But she has more secrets than they know.
1. Empath

_My real name is Lyra. My parents died when I was five years old. I don't really remember them, except as an idea. I know everyone has parents, but I couldn't tell you what their names were or what they looked like. I do remember that I watched while they were gunned down before my eyes, for the simple mistake of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was during the virus outbreak on L2 in 187 and I had fallen behind, looking at something in a store window. My mother shielded me with her body while my father shielded her. The men who shot them took my father's wallet, my mother's purse and both of their shoes and jackets. I'm sure they would have continued to loot my parents' bodies, except that they noticed me staring at them. I can't remember if I screamed, but I can remember the look in their eyes, the despiration and terror. I managed to escape into an alley and crawl through a hole in a fence that was too high for them to climb. That day I gained a new understanding about human nature. Only the strong survive and I was determined to be one of the strong. _

_I was found wandering through back alleys and disreputable slums by an old man who, in return for a bit of stale bread and a place to sleep, wanted me to pick pockets for him. He said arthritis prevented him from working and so in desperation he had taken to picking pockets, but his fingers weren't nimble enough and he had been caught and beaten. For almost a year I made my living picking pockets for the old man I had taken to calling "Grandpa" before I was finally caught by a man who decided to claim me as his kid. He was a down and out, disillusioned contractor whose only child had died of the viral outbreak the year before. He had worked for the government for years, but all of his hard work didn't earn him any help from the "higher-ups" when his kid began showing symptoms. He told me he no longer had any faith in the colonies and that he needed me in order to make the government pay for not stepping in to save his kid. He sold me to the Alliance government as a test subject for their latest military endeavor to create the newest weapon of psychological warfare. This latest project was called "Project Empath". I was only six._

"Get up," a harsh voice commanded. Lyra recognized her personal trainer, Geoffrey, and moved as quickly as her weary limbs could manage. It wasn't quick enough. He limped over to her and cracked his cane against the back of her head. She dropped to her knees as her vision blurred and darkened.

"Now get up. And next time, be quicker about it. Or it will be two bumps on your head," Geoffrey growled and stalked out of the cubby hole she'd been given for a room. There were no personal items in her room and the walls were plain white. There was just enough space for a bed and the tiny closet held three days worth of clothes. She put on her clothes and went to the mess hall for breakfast. It was the same as the day before and the day before that: cold cereal, burnt toast and strong black coffee. She finished in less than five minutes. It didn't do to linger over your food. After the third day, that lesson was well-learned.

_My days all blended together in a haze of pain, hunger and sleep deprivation. I was later told that they were preparing me for the harshest conditions possible, but back then it just seemed like hell. Every year on my birthday I was allowed a day's respite from training and I got some decent food and a good night's sleep. At least I assumed it was my birthday. It was the only way I could tell how long I'd been there and how old I was. It had been five years since I'd been so callously sold to the United Earth Sphere Alliance's military training program. The Alliance knew their control and power with the colonies was wearing thin._ _My primary focus was as a tool of psychological warfare, but I was also trained in the more militant arts as well. I could sneak in and out of a building before anyone knew I was there. I was speed and shadow and the element of surprise. After the mental came the physical. I could hack into any computer given enough time. I could use a wide variety of weapons. I was, in fact, myself a weapon. I knew several forms of martial arts. I would never be large or strong enough to overwhelm a man, but I made up for in speed and precision what I lacked in strength. I could blend in with a crowd in any given situation; I could follow and take down any given target, whether on foot or in a vehicle; I could spot and take out or lose someone following me. What normal soldiers did well, I excelled at. I was trained to put on and take off masks. I could become anyone I needed to be. A seductress. A friend and confidante. But always a killer. I was taught to cause fear in my enemies and to use that fear to my advantage. People, I learned, were weak. Control what a man fears and you can control that man. My physical training was almost complete. I was now 11 and I was being sent to a group of scientists to begin the next stage in my training._

"Welcome to the Greene Mountain Laboratory and Testing Facility, Lyra."

Lyra was greeted by a tall blonde woman who identified herself as April. She was the head receptionist at Greene Mountain and she was all smiles and charm, but she had no discernable personality. Her light tan business suit was trim and professional and her makeup and nails were flawless. April offered her hand with a charming smile, but Lyra only stared at her in confusion. This was definitely not what she was used to. April let her hand hang for a moment before allowing it to drop.

"I'll take you to your new quarters so you can get settled in. Then I'll have someone show you around the grounds. In the morning you'll report to Lab Center A, room 15 in the main lab to begin your tests," April said pleasantly as she began walking. Lyra grabbed her only bag and followed silently behind her guide. The grounds were laid out very logically. The gate entered the grounds from the south. Directly ahead was a large building. It held offices, meeting rooms and everything else a business needed. To the left of the main building were the barracks for the students and test subjects, appropriately segregated of course. There were two cafeterias attached to the barracks; one for the students and one for the test subjects. To the right of the main building was the main lab. It was one long hallway with little groups of lab clusters, or "centers" as they were called, branching from the main hall. Lab Center A was at the top of the hallway and Lab Center J was at the very bottom. North of the main building were the scientist and teacher quarters. They had their own cafeteria, laundry, everything they might need. In the middle of the grounds was a small, formal garden by a pond with a large willow tree providing shade and several students sitting on benches with their heads together.

Lyra was shown to her room and found a new set of clothes on the freshly made bed. This room was a little larger than her previous room, but not by much. She noticed that Greene Mountain adhered to the "white wall standard" as well. A quick glance in the closet revealed several more sets of clothes folded neatly on shelves, enough to last for a week. Setting her bag on the bed, Lyra began changing into the white pants and shirt as April left. Not too long after she finished changing, there was a forceful knock on the door. She opened it to find a young man standing in the hall with his hand raised to knock again. His eyes were small and seemed hidden behind his rather thick glasses and lank sandy-blond hair. He had a distinct air of superiority and it was obvious that he thought more highly of himself than most of the people around him.

"I'm Brian. I'll be showing you around and making sure you stay out of trouble today," he said, imperiously. "Since I'm having to waste my day here instead of doing real work, you can make it up to me. When I call, you come. I don't care if you're sick and dying, if I need something you say 'yes, sir'."

"No."

"Excuse me? Listen here," Brian stepped into the room and tried to loom threateningly. Then he reeled backwards, his nose broken. Lyra stared at him coldly.

"You little bitch! You're going to regret that!" he yelled. His voice was slightly unintelligible due to his newly broken nose, but she got the message. She wasn't worried. What could he do to her? How difficult could he possibly make her life?

Twenty minutes later, Lyra found herself in the Dean's office. He was shouting and his face had turned the most interesting shade of puce. She could see the bright brass buttons on his blazer straining against his considerable bulk. She idly wondered if they would pop off. That might be amusing.

"THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! You are here for less than an hour and already you are causing trouble! You are from now on restricted to your room. Do not let me hear of you anywhere except the lab or your room. Do you understand me? "

"I do, sir." It was useless to argue and there was no point in bringing up the fact that Brian had harassed her. She was a trained fighter. He was a student devoted to the sciences. Not only was it not a fair fight, but he out ranked her here. It was a strain not to roll her eyes, but she was too well trained for that.

The next morning, Lyra stopped at the cafeteria and got a bagel and some milk before heading to the lab to begin her tests where the scientists in charge informed her that she would be a new breed of soldier. Not only would she be able to fight in the traditional sense, but she would be able to conduct psychological warfare as well. She would be what they would call an "Empathic Soldier", able to pick up the emotions of other people and project the emotions she wanted them to feel. If everything went according to plan, people like her would be mass produced by Alliance scientists and sent to the colonies to assassinate opposition to Alliance rule and sway the colonists opinion of the Alliance government. It would take a year and a half of tests, drugs and injections for her to be "complete". Then she would be sent back to her teachers to finish her training and receive her first assignment.

During her time in the lab, she overheard one of the scientists telling a class of students to treat her kindly and with respect. They wanted her emotions to be "available" and "intact". It was several months later that she learned that her predecessor's emotions had been systematically and callously crushed. He had become a perfect killing machine, empty and soulless with no remorse or humanity. His first attempt to influence the emotions of others had shattered his mind and it had taken five men to subdue him and give him a lethal injection. She was too expensive a tool to be so carelessly mishandled. After that, the instructor moved on to less interesting topics and Lyra continued on her way to the lab. She had a lot to think on.

Lyra's training as an empathic soldier continued and she began to get the hang of picking up on the emotions of others. Once she could do that, it was easy enough to make others feel what she wanted them to feel. She could sense that the scientists and researchers were excited about her progress. She was excelling in their tests and was further along than any previous test subject. It wasn't long before she had to shield herself constantly to keep others from picking up on her emotions and to keep their emotions out of her head.

Eventually, Lyra once again found herself in the Dean's office. This time he was explaining that her time at Greene Mountain was almost over. The particulars of what he said were unimportant and Lyra didn't bother listening too closely, but she agreed when it seemed appropriate and gave the impression of listening intently. She was sent back to her room, where she spent some time considering what her next move should be. Finally she made up her mind.

The next day, as she stopped in the caffeteria for her breakfast of bagles and coffee, the news report on the television caught her attention. Five large, unidentified objects had crash-landed near Alliance bases across the world. Casualties were high and the death toll was still being counted. The government wasn't prepared to give a statement at this time, but the Channel 6 News Group would be sure to keep their viewers updated on the current situation.

Lyra didn't sleep that night. Instead she broke into one of the computer labs and hacked into the Alliance's training databank. She found her assignment and erased it. She then proceeded to erase all evidence that she had ever been at the Alliance training facility and Greene Mountain. She was going off the map. She no longer existed to them.

It was easy enough to sneak out of the Greene Mountain compound, especially since she didn't have anything personal to take with her. The tests were two months from being complete, but the scientists were only monitoring her now and instructing her on developing her new skills. She had the basics and the drive and determination to develop her new abilities further. The scientists at Greene Mountain were no longer necessary.

Before leaving, she hacked into the United Earth Sphere Bank and Trust and set up a false account, giving herself enough to live comfortably. She also got a ticket to space colony L1. She considered giving herself a new name. A girl named Charlie would stand out in a lot of places, but no one would ever connect her with what she had once been. Whatever she was to become, she would strike from the shadows. They would not find her again unless she wanted them to. When there is no safety to be found in the light, one must turn to the shadows for protection.

Disclaimer - I do not own Gundam Wing. This disclaimer applies to all chapters in this story. This is purely a work of fiction and I'm making no money from the writing of this fanfic.


	2. Finding Viper

"Damn it!" muttered a man with long chestnut hair as he walked down the street towards an empty park, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. The rain that had been threatening all day finally let loose the promised torrent and now Duo Maxwell was soaked to the bone. And now his hair was wet too! "Why am I the one who gets stuck with the sucky jobs?"

"Because you always draw the shortest straw," crackled a voice in his ear.

"Very funny Quatre," Duo growled to his fellow ex-Gundam pilot and sometimes-Preventer. Normally a cheerful and happy-go-lucky soul, Duo was uncharacteristically quiet. Preventer HQ had decided to remove all of the former Gundam pilots from active duty. Instead they were to teach the next generation of Preventers. More specifically, they were to teach a new unit of Preventers: the Elites. This new unit would be the best of the the best. They would be sent to protect diplomats and people important in keeping the peace of the world.

"Stop whining, Maxwell. It is unbecoming." Wufei Chang's, another former pilot and fellow Preventer, righteously indignant voice sounded in Duo's earpiece, "There is no honor in-" Duo interrupted before Wufei could get any further.

"Yeah? Well, you can take your 'honor' and shove it right up your-"

"Please! Please stop! We shouldn't be fighting!" Quatre's panicked voice rang in Duo's ear, cutting off his tirade. The few people left on the street looked sidewise at him before averting their eyes and rushing on. "I know we're all upset at being taken off active duty, but its senseless to attack each other like that. Besides, we have a mission to complete." Grumbling under his breath, Duo walked around the corner and under the entrance gate to the park. He could see his target sitting on a bench under a oak tree.

"Target in sight…" Duo whistled softly into his mic. "She's a looker, too," he said, sounding both pleased and impressed.

"Better not let your woman hear you talking about another female like that. Get back to the job at hand, Maxwell," Wufei said.

"Hey, Hilde and I have an understanding. Got that Wu-man?" Duo said as he entered the park.

"The only thing you understand, Maxwell, is that if you even look at another woman, that wife of yours will kick your ass and have you sleeping on the couch. And how many times must I tell you not to call me 'Wu-man'?" Wufei asked disgustedly.

"Wu-man! I'm shocked! Was that… dare I even say it? A joke?" Duo asked in mock astonishment.

"What? You don't think she'd do it Maxwell? I hear pregnant women are touchy like that," Wufei asked smugly, knowing that Duo's wife would indeed have him sleeping on the couch for at least a month.

"Yeah yeah. I'm moving in. Cover me." Duo said sullenly as he darted forward silently, ducking behind a bush. Their target was a girl in her early twenties. Her red hair, which was pulled back in a now damp ponytail, was almost as long as Duo's. Her sodden black pants stuck to her skin, showing off shapely legs, and her red shirt and black jacket looked more than a little damp. She was sitting on a bench beneath an old willow tree, her back to the approaching man. Suddenly the woman stood up and turned to face Duo, hands raised to show she carried no weapons. Duo noticed that her eyes were a very interesting shade of purple. He wondered if it was her natural eye color. Her voice broke into his thoughts.

"You can have your friends come out now. I won't put up a fight." The woman's eyes never wavered. Duo stood up from his position behind the bush. The woman was cool and confident, even as she turned to see Wufei approaching from her left, pointing his gun at her.

"Please understand that with a reputation such as yours, we can't take any chances," Quatre said from her right. His hands were extended towards her, palms out, to show that he wouldn't harm her.

Suddenly the woman grinned, "Three way split, huh? Well, I'm not so easy as that." She leapt at Wufei and kicked his gun out of his hand. She twisted around behind him and kicked him in the back of his knees, forcing him to the ground. A quick blow to the back of his head and he dropped unconscious onto the damp grass.

Diving forward over Wufei's prostrate body, she rolled to her feet in front of Duo just as he cocked and aimed his gun. She knocked it out of his hands and twisted his arm behind his back, applying more pressure when he tried to break free. The sudden appearance of a knife at his throat convinced him that it might be a good idea to stay still. Very, very still.

"This was very well planned and executed. You probably even have a getaway driver. I had no idea you were even here until I smelled your cologne. Very nice choice by the way," the woman said, the last in a sultry tone in Duo's ear. Duo cursed. He'd never even thought about his cologne. Hilde had bought it for him for their anniversary. It was his favorite scent, but it was way too expensive to buy for any other occasion. If they hadn't set up a date that night this whole mess would have been avoided.

"Not very bright of you to have missed that. Are you hired muscle of some sort? What's the bounty up to now? One? One point five?"

"We're not here for a bounty," Quatre said carefully, "We have a job offer for you."

"Not interested. Sorry." Hearing a click behind her, the woman tensed, "What makes you think I won't just kill him?"

"Kill me? Hey! Wait just one second! No one ever said anything about killing! Let me go! C'mon lady!" Duo shouted in panic.

"Let him go," a voice behind the girl said, touching the gun to the back of her head, "If you kill him I'll be forced to seek revenge."

"Revenge is great and all but it won't change the fact that I'm DEAD, y'know!"

"Please just let him go. I promise no one here will hurt you!" Quatre pleaded. "I said we weren't here to collect a bounty and I meant it. We have a job offer for you. If you accept, any bounty on you will be rescinded and your criminal history will be forgiven."

The woman relaxed her hold on Duo, who took advantage and pulled free. He knelt next to Wufei and checked his pulse.

"Just unconscious; he should be coming around soon," he announced to the rest of his team.

"You're very good, I have to admit. I guess I was mistaken. You can't be hired muscle. Which organization are you with?" the woman asked as she felt the man behind her reach forward and take the knife out of her hand.

"We're Preventers," Quatre told her as he walked past her, "Trowa, give me the keys. Duo, you carry Wufei. Looks like I'm driving."

"I'm on it Q-man," Duo said as he tossed Wufei over his shoulder, "I've got the dead weight."

The woman heard the man behind her, Trowa, had over the keys. He then grabbed her shoulder and turned her towards the entrance to the park. They started walking towards the street, the barrel of the gun never leaving her head and her hands in the air where her captors could see them. They turned the corner and Quatre opened the car door for her, shutting it behind Trowa. The woman turned to look at her captor as the door on the other side of the car opened and Duo unceremoniously dumped Wufei on her other side. Then the front doors slammed shut and the car began to move. The man who still held her at gunpoint was tall with long bangs and emerald eyes. He had a nice voice, though he seemed to be the quiet type.

"Heero. Heero, come in." Duo said into a portable communicator.

"Heero here. Go ahead," a monotone voice crackled a minute later.

"It's about time buddy! We've got Viper with us. She put up one hell of a fight, too. We'll make a stop for her to pick up her stuff then we're on our way back to the base."

"Roger that," with that the communication was severed and Duo tossed the communicator unceremoniously onto the floorboard and leaned back with a sigh.

"Where do you live?" Quatre asked.

"Corner of Wilson and Second. Fifth floor up." They rode in silence after that, Duo's light snoring was the only sound. Almost 30 minutes later they pulled up in front of the building Viper had specified. She and Trowa stepped out of the car. He put his gun back in its holster and followed her into the rundown building.

When they reached her door she pulled out a set of keys on a battered key ring. The door swung in with a loud creak and she led him inside. The interior of her apartment was sparsely furnished and books covered almost every available surface. The beat up table and coffee table were both done in cherry and black, there were thick burgundy and gold rugs on the polished wood floor and the walls were painted a sandy gold color. There were books everywhere, on the table and chairs, in piles on the floor and lined on bookcases across the walls.

Viper cleared off one of the chairs and motioned for Trowa to sit. Then she went to the hall closet and pulled out two large duffel bags. Ignoring the dark look she gave him, Trowa followed Viper into her room and watched her pack her clothes and accessories into one bag and her rather impressive weapons collection into the other.

"Y'know, I don't allow too many guys in this room." She commented, "I usually end up killing most of the guys I meet." As she led Trowa back out into the living room she looked sadly at her meager possessions and her enormous book collection and said, "I'm going to miss this stuff."

"We can send somebody back here to get it once you're settled in at the base."

"Don't worry about it. There won't be anything left here to salvage. Oh, we have one more stop to make before we head back down to the car." With that she left the apartment, stopping only long enough to uncover a switch hidden in the bookcase next to the door.

"You'd better hurry up, I'd hate for there to be two casualties in here," she called over her shoulder.

Trowa followed, shutting the door behind him. He followed her down three flights of stairs and down the hall to the door at the very end. She knocked on the door and waited as a man opened it, shouting that he didn't have time to solve everyone's problems and they'd just have to come back later.

"Richie, you fucking fairy! Is that how you talk to your tenants?" Viper laughed as her landlord opened his door.

"That's how I talk to the ones I like. You on the other hand…" He trailed off seeing her packed bags and the man behind her. "So they finally caught up with you did they? Knew they would sooner or later. That's what you get for making enemies girlie. And who is this young man? Very good-looking. He's not with you is he? What a shame, what a shame."

"You don't want this one Richie, he's got claws." Viper said slyly. She handed him an envelope and slung her bags over her shoulder. "Nice knowin' ya, Richie. Take care."

After Richie had shut his door and they walked back to the stairs Trowa asked, "What was that all about?"

"Just paying him back. I cost him pretty big leaving this way," she replied.

When they got back to the car, and she had tossed her bags in the trunk, Duo asked, "So'd'ya get everything Viper?"

"My name isn't Viper. Viper died in her apartment when it caught on fire. You can call me Charlie." The men looked back and saw that, as she'd said, her apartment had caught on fire.

"So you took the coward's way out," Wufei said scornfully.

"Well hey! Looks like Sleeping Beauty finally decided to wake up!" Duo said, "What's wrong Wu-man? You're not a sore loser are you?"

"Shut up, Maxwell," Wufei bit back sourly.

No one spoke after that. Duo was off in his own little world, humming along with the radio; Wufei was surreptitiously rubbing the back of his head where he'd been hit; Trowa was seemingly looking out the window at the passing scenery, though in reality he was watching Charlie in the reflection of the glass.

An hour later they pulled into the space port and picked up their tickets, as they were waiting to board Charlie spoke up.

"So what exactly does this 'job' entail? You obviously didn't kidnap me for my stunning good looks," she said sarcastically.

"Oh I don't know about that," Duo replied flippantly, "Looks to me like the higher-ups have pretty good taste in women; even if they do have lousy taste in office décor." Charlie raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Actually, it's a teaching job." Quatre said, "We'd like you to join us in training a new Preventer unit: the Preventer Elites. The Elites will have specialized training in combat tactics, weapons training, infiltration, hand to hand combat, psychological warfare and other skills. We were hoping you would be the instructor for tactics and psychological warfare."

"And the colonies and Earth will allow this? I'd think they'd be wary about a single organization gaining that much military power. Especially with that rash of wars we had."

"The reason Earth and the colonies allow this is because the Preventers have a long history of helping both the colonies and Earth. The Preventers have never tried to seize any kind of military power for their own gain. They've always been on the front line, protecting the people. All of the people. It also helps that we have Miss Relena's support. She's the one who convinced the governments of Earth and the colonies that it would be a good idea to have such well trained and armed units. Miss Relena works tirelessly every day, striving for peace for all people. She realizes that war will exist until peace can be achieved and until peace is achieved, the people will need to be protected. Besides, the new unit won't be using mobile suits. They'll be strictly ground units," Quatre explained.

"She also convinced them not to prosecute us as war criminals." Duo chimed in.

"So you're the Gundam pilots. That explains everything. I'd heard rumors that you weren't active Preventers anymore. What are you doing in the field?" Charlie asked.

"Wow… rumor spreads fast. That hasn't even been made public yet. It only happened last week!" Duo said, amazed, "Does everyone know? Sheesh!"

"Oh, I have my ways..." Charlie dismissed airily. Quatre proceeded to explain what being an instructor would entail and finally they heard their flight announcement over the intercom.

"Flight 917 for Earth is ready to begin the boarding process. Flight 917 for Earth, please begin boarding."

"That's us," Quatre announced.

"Wait. Your... academy is on Earth?" Charlie asked, slightly distressed.

"Yeah. We're operating out of an old Alliance testing center. Greene Mountain." Duo replied as he picked up his carry-on and started walking towards their terminal.

"Oh." Charlie replied weakly. She was careful not to broadcast her growing distress as she picked up her luggage and followed Duo, the others close behind.

They found their seats on the shuttle and settled in. Quatre and Duo took the seats in front of hers and Wufei took the seat to her left across the aisle. Trowa took the window seat to her right. She leaned back against her seat and closed her eyes, dredging up her memories of the Greene Mountain Laboratory and Testing Facilities. She had no good memories of that place, but she dwelled on them anyways. And as the shuttle took off and set a course for Earth, Charlie remembered a girl named Lyra and a life in hell.


End file.
